Posts Tagged ‘Gary’

Lots of changes have been happening recently and I am taking the opportunity to expand my skill set, take up some new challenges and experiment, experiment, experiment. I have become aware that I have put a bit of a self-inflicted roadblock on some of my inner creativity and I think it is time to let it out. Watch out world!

As a result, I am taking up a challenge – to create 40 different ‘pieces’ over a 40 day period. It can be anything – painting, drawing, knitting, découpage (because who doesn’t love découpage?), stencilling, baking etc. Yes, I’m including baking because it is a delicious form of creativity.

Yesterday was Day One of the challenge and to be honest, my creativity levels were not particularly high. I was more inclined to go outside and visit an art gallery (I went and saw an Art Spiegelman exhibition at the Pompidou Centre library) but I was determined to make something. The search was on for inspiration. Come on, Paris!

It was the weather man who eventually delivered – his insistence on producing grey, rainy weather day after day after day for the past two weeks has certainly been the topic of conversation and was now my inspiration.

It is kind of a strange looking cloud, but I'll just say it is "French"

Now Gary has a reason to feel it is too wet for ducks as he lives under a cloud. A pretty, stripy cloud, nonetheless. It is a reasonable first attempt but I am keen to add some rain drops that hang from the bottom of it. Call it a work in progress.

An interesting challenge from a friend has prompted me to put more thought, effort and time into my desire to make ‘stuff’. So far the issue has been where to start and what ‘stuff’ actually is. I really need to work on refining this but on Friday I decided it would be a good idea to do some experimentation. A couple of weeks ago I had experimented with making stencils as ultimately I would love to create images that people want to hang on their walls but my drawing skills are non-existant. I therefore I am trying to find sneaky ways to get around this problem. My last attempts resulted in a collection of coloured keys which I rather like and immediately hung on MY wall (with masking tape. I need a frame.) Good start.

Keys. Keys. Keys.

On Friday I sat and pondered what exactly I should stencil next. My thoughts went back to my good sock friend, Gary, who I miss but I hope is enjoying his new life mud-walking in Tasmania.

I miss you, Gary.

When I send my sock creatures away to their new owners, I make little books containing the creature’s life story. On the front cover is a black and white image that I create in Photoshop with extremely complicated techniques. I would try and explain it to you but you’d be far too amazed by my Photoshop skills that your head might explode. We don’t want that.

Anyway, I took Gary’s black and white picture and added a sentence that has been hanging around in my head for about three weeks now. It doesn’t make much sense, but nothing I do really does. At least I’m consistently strange. Here was the end result after some careful knife-work:

Good day for stencilling

After cutting out the stencil I then concocted a nice shade of greeny-blue and started painting. I need to invest in some better stencilling equipment as the paper I was using was too flimsy and moved around but I am still quite pleased with the result.

What will lie underneath?

Et voilà!

I loved Gary in sock-form and now I love him in stencil. I am really pleased with what I produced and can see how I can work on and improve my techniques. I want to start doing some different colour layers to add some more excitement. So stay tuned – new Zaum ‘stuff’ is coming to you soon!

Gary has found a new home! He has been purchased by someone I don’t know! AMAZING TIMES! Gary has been purchased as a christmas present for a dentist which is completely perfect.

I made a little black and white booklet to go with him so that his new owner is aware of his past and knows how to look after him. I’m quite pleased with the end product. I still have to work on it a bit but not a bad start!